England legend Jonny Wilkinson was the best player in the world for some time, and he arguably could be the greatest ever.
1. The obvious
When he won England the Rugby World Cup by slotting a drop-goal on his weaker right foot. Legend.
2. Cruising through the All Blacks
This try was AWESOME.
3. His man of the match display against Ireland
The playmaker was at the peak of his powers.
4. The hardest tackle ever
Brian O'Driscoll later revealed he couldn't walk for two weeks after this HUGE hit from Wilkinson.
5. When he dominated Owen Farrell
Toulon won 24-12 at Twickenham in 2013, booking their place in the final of the Champions Cup. Wilkinson was a clear winner in the battle of the boot, as he kicked seven penalties and an excellent drop-goal to get the better of young Owen Farrell.
6. Bilingual team talk
Throwback to this incredible team talk Wilkinson gave to his Toulon teammates, speaking in both French and English.
7. Another HUGE hit
Why not
8. His kicking in general
Watch footage of his unique routine alongside the great man's own description of what it's like to kick.
Jonny Wilkinson facts: 8 things you didn’t know, including his secret son
Being one of the most popular players on the globe is likely to generate an incredible fan-base globally, but we are fairly confident that there are some aspects of Jonny Wilkinson’s life and career you are not familiar with.
Jonny Wilkinson facts:
1. Sporting family
Wilkinson's brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre. His father, Phil, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level. His grandfather, Phil, also played football for Norwich.
2. Where does he live now?
"Berkshire, with my wife, Shelley, and our toddler. We’re fortunate to live in a lovely house in a great area surrounded by nice people, but we’re leaning towards moving somewhere more rural as we both love the outdoors, nature and space. We enjoy going for long walks. Windsor Great Park is a joy."
3. Competition winner
When former England centre Jeremy Guscott walked into the dressing room on the day of Wilkinson's international debut, he thought the 18-year-old had won a competition to spend the day with the national team.
4. Treasured possesions
"The Roland piano and a couple of Fender guitars. They come with me because there’s no end to what you can do with them. If you put me in a room with a guitar, you won’t hear from me for weeks."
5. Marriage
Wilkinson married his girlfriend of eight years, scaffolding company heiress Shelley Jenkins, in a private ceremony at the town hall of the French resort of Bandol. Only two guests, one of them Wilkinson's mother, were present at the ceremony officiated by Bandol mayor Christian Palix, who said that "both [are] viewed with great respect" in the community.
The couple met 15 years ago while she was working as a cocktail waitress in the Majorcan resort of Magaluf.
6. Beliefs
Wilkinson followed Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, according to an interview he gave with The Times newspaper in 2009.
Giant Buddha sitting on lotusl. Hong Kong
7. First born
Jonny and Shelley became parents for the first time in late 2018. They keep their private life pretty much on lockdown, but according to reported, they had a little boy called James.
8. Phobias
"Heights. Being stuck in a lift, now we’ve talked about that. And audience participation, the type you get at stage shows. In school, we had three occasions like that and I got selected all three times. I tried different approaches, apart from getting up and running out of the building, and I still got picked every time."
